Pressure-sensitive label receiving and applying station



A ril 23, 1968 T. G. HUGHES PRESSURE-SENSITIVE LABEL RECEIVING ANDAPPLYING STATION Filed Sept. 7, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R O N E V m THOMASG. HUGHES Aprifi 3, 1968 T. G. HUGHES 3,379,466

PRElSJURE-SENSlTIVE LABEL1 RECEIVING AND APPLYING STATION Filed Sept.'7, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3% Fi INVENTOR.

THOMAS G. HUGHES 3,379,466 PREEEURE-SENSITIVE LABEL RECElVlNG ANDAPPLYING STATIGN Thomas G. Hughes, Windber, Pa, assignor to The Procter8: Gamble Company, (Iincinnati, Ohio, 2 corporation or Ghio Filed Eept.7, 1966, Ser. No. 577,736 8 Qlalrns. (Cl. 294---65) This inventionrelates to a label receiving and applying station for pressure-sensitivelabel application machines and more particularly to such a station fromwhich stripped pressure-sensitive labels are applied by propelling thesame by means of a short burst of compressed air. As such, the device ofthis invention comprises an improvement to the label applying meansdescribed in US. Letters Patent 3,093,528 which issued to Robert L.Reich on June 11, 1963, for Label Applying Means.

The Reich patent discloses a device for stripping pressure-sensitivelabels from a release liner and applying the stripped labels to articlesby means of compressed air. The labels are mounted in seriatim on aribbon of release liner in roll form and these are fed into the machine,eventually being guided onto a stripping bar having a forward edgeadjacent a side of the grid on a label receiving and applying station.The release liner is carried around the forward edge of the strippingbar and, following the label stripping action caused thereby, iscollected on a take-up roll which is later discarded. As the releaseliner abruptly changes direction in traversing the stripping bar forwardedge, the inherent stillness of a label being carried on the linercauses the leading label edge to separate from the release liner. Theleading edge of the label proj'ects in front of the vacuumized grid ofthe label receiving and applying station, the vacuum biasing the labeltoward the grid and causing the label to travel across the face of thegrid as it is progressively stripped from the release liner. When thearticle to be labeled is in proper position and the label is completelystripped, appropriate controls cause a blast of compressed air to bedirected through a plurality of air nozzles onto the inner surface ofthe grid and by this means the pressure sensitive label is blown fromthe grid and onto the article.

The arrangement of the blow-off nozzles for each size and configurationof label is critical in that the air directed therefrom provides thesole means of controlling the label while it is being propelled to thepackage or article. Commercial embodiments of machines such as thatdescribed in the Reich patent are normally equipped with a set of 8nozzles, each of which comprises a length of rigid tubing secure.yfastened to a manifold. The relationship of the nozzles of a set, one tothe other, cannot be changed or altered when different sizes and shapesof labels are used. For this reason it is standard operating procedureto have a different set of nozzles for each type of label, necessitatinga purchase and/ or replacement of arts for each changeover of label,i.e., each time the equipment is set up to run a different style oflabel. Moreover, there is essentially no freedom of action in selectinga desired nozzle pattern since the parts are expensive to produce andare not readily adapted for testing as to efiicacy in operation.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate the abovedifliculties.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a label receivingand applying station adapted to be employed with labels of varying sizesand configurations and which utilizes an air nozzle arrangement whichcan be quickly and economically adjusted upon label changeover toimprove the overall pattern of air emanating therefrom.

* States Patent M 3,379,466 Patented Apr. 23, 1968 Briefly stated, inaccordance with one aspect of th s invention there is provided a labelreceiving and applying station comprising a vacuum housing incommunication with means to maintain air pressure therein below that ofthe ambient air. The vacuum housing has a grid on one side thereofformed of an open network of support members, the outer surfaces ofwhich are coplanar. A flexible tubing connecting means is associatedwith the grid and comprises a multiplicity of connecting stationspositioned intermediate adjacent support members. The stations are eachopen to the passage of ambient air therethrough when unconnected to aflexible tube. The station also includes a multiplicity of lengths offlexible tubing each of which has one end in communication with a sourceof compressed air and another end adapted to be removably attached toone of the connecting stations. Means is provided for selectivelycontrolling the flow of compressed air simultaneously into the lengthsof flexible tubing. The number of lengths of flexible tubing issubstantially less than the number of connecting stations, whereby topermit attachment to an equal number of stations in varying patterns toprovide means for conveniently selecting the collective profile ofcompressed air emanating from the lengths of flexible tubing.

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as thepresent invention, it is believed that the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View, partially broken away to show interiordetails, of a preferred embodiment of the label receiving and applyingstation of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the grid of the embodiment of FIGURE1;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of the air manifold of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the air manifold of FIGURE 3 taken alongthe line 4-4; and

FIGURE 5 is an elev-ational view of a modification of the grid of FIGURE2.

Referring to FIGURE 1 there is shown one preferred embodiment of thesubject label receiving and applying station. This station is adapted tobe employed in connection with label application apparatus such asdescribed in the aforesaid Reich patent and therefore the labelapplication apparatus shall not be described in detail, the Reich patentbeing relied upon for details of this nature. It will be understood,however, that the device is so positioned with respect to the strippingbar of the pressuresensitive label applying machine that the grid of thelabel receiving and applying station of this invention is adapted toreceive the successive labels as they are stripped from the releaseliner during the course of machine operation. This label receiving andapplying station can be connected to the balance of the label applyingmachine by means of screws, clamps, welding or other suitable mountingmeans, none of which is shown on the drawing.

The label receiving and applying station comprises an enclosure orhousing 12 constructed of imperforate plastic or, preferably, of sheetmetal and formed into a desired configuration and secured therein bywelding, brazing, soldering, screws, or the like. The housing 12 issubstantially airtight along its seams whereby to prevent air passagethrough portions of the enclosure aside from those specifically intendedto be open to air fiow. One side of the enclosure 12 comprises a grid 14which will be described in more detail hereinafter but is essentiallyopen for the passage of ambient air therethrough. Another side of theenclosure 12 (as shown on the drawing, side 16,

which is oriented at right angles with the plane of the grid 14) isprovided with an opening 160 adapted to be placed in communication witha source of vacuum by vacuum ducts or other appropriate means known tothose skilled in the art. The vacuum source should have capacity to pulla vacuum within the interior of the enclosure 12 in the range of fromabout .5 to about 5.0 inches of water, preferably 1.0 inch of water.

Fastened in a corner of the enclosure 12 by means of machine screws 18is an air manifold it), the structure of which will be described,connected to a source of compressed air, for example, a compressor or apressure vessel communicating with the outlet thereof. While it can bevaried considerably, air at a pressure of from about 60 to about 100pounds per square inch gage is most satisfactory, preferably 90 p.s.i.g.A number of lengths of fiexible tubing 22 constructed of rubber, plasticor the like are attached to the manifold 20 and thereby placed incommunication with the compressed air source. These flexible tubes 22,the lengths of which are approximately equal, extend to and areremovably afiixed to connecting stations comprising a portion of thegrid 14 and therefore each can be detached from the connecting stationto which it is affixed and reapplied to another in order to result in acomposite arrangement of activated connecting stations (i.e., thosewhich are engaged with flexible tubes 22) in a pattern thought to givebest results with a particular size and shape of label. In order topermit selection of a large number of patterns of activated connectingstations, the number of lengths of flexible tubing 22 must besubstantially less than the number of connecting stations. A removableside panel 24 is afiixed to a flange portion 26 of the enclosure 12 bymeans of screws 27 or the like. If desired, a gasket (not shown) can beplaced intermediate the side panel 24 and the flange portion 26. Removalof the side panel 24 provides access to the flexible tubes 22 andthereby permits the movement of the tubes 22 to various connectingstations in order to develop the desired overall pattern of air flowthrough the grid 14.

The construction of the grid 14 of FIGURE 1 will be understood mostclearly by reference to FIGURE 2. The grid comprises a multiplicity ofequally spaced support members, parallel bars 23, between which arefastened a number of connecting stations, in this case nozzle members 30adapted to direct air outwardly at substantially right angles with theouter grid surface. A pair of oppositely disposed end members 32maintains the integrity of the unit and provides the structure foraflixment of the grid unit '14 within the enclosure 12. Although thesize, type of materials used, and the method of construction are notcritical, it has been found that where the overall grid dimensions areabout 3" x 5 a satisfactory structure results when bars 23 are made ofmetal having cross-sectional dimensions of /1 x A, spaced from oneanother, and held together by a pair of /s" x 4;" metal end members 32.In this case, 3 OD. copper tubing /3" long can be used for the nozzlemembers 35 which in this embodiment are the connecting stations. The endmembers 32 are slotted to approximately half the depth and for the fullthickness of the bars 28 so that the same may merely be telescoped inthe grooves and thereby aligned during assembly so that the outersurfaces thereof are flush, i.e., substantially coplanar. Provided thegrooves in the end members 3-2 are properly dimensioned, a friction fitbetween the bars 28 and the end members 32 will suffice to hold theseparts together. Otherwise, the bars 28 may be attached to the endmembers 32 within the slots by fastening techniques such as soldering,brazing or welding.

The tubing comprising the connecting stations are inserted betweenadjacent bars 28 whereby any desired arrangement thereof may beachieved. In the illustrated embodiment the nozzles 30 in each row areplaced with centerto-center spacing of about 1" and these connectingstations are staggered from one another, the majority of A stationsbeing substantially equally spaced throughout the grid arrangement.However, it is desirable to have the stations at the end of the grid onwhich the label is first contacted to be more closely spaced than thebalance of the stations so as to permit the nozzles 30 to be connectedto the flexible tubes 22 in a more compact pattern to create bettercontrol for smaller labels. For example, the staggering of theconnecting stations at the label inlet end can be by about A whereas thebalance of the stations can be staggered by about /2". In any event, thenumber and arrangement of the connecting stations at the grid can bemade in conformity with the type and size of labels expected to behandled by a particular applicating machine and in the embodiment shown56 stations are employed. The nozzle members 30 can be affixed in theproper location by means of brazing or other suitable afiixmenttechniques.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the grid 14 is placed on end and telescopedin one side of the enclosure 12, secured in place by means, not shown,but which can comprise machine screws or the like connecting the topwall 34 of enclosure 12 with the upper end member 32 of FIGURE 1 and thebottom wall 36 to the lower end member 32. As will be understood, theflush outer surfaces of bars 28 will be positioned to receive labels asthey are stripped for application by other elements of the labelapplicating machine.

The manifold 2%, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, comprises a body 38 ofsubstantially parallelepipedon configuration, one side of which containsa cylindrical recess 4G. The other side of the body 38 is drilled at anumber of locations which are equally spaced about the periphery of andconnecting with the inner wall of recess 40, forming through holes 42within which tube connectors 44 are telescoped and atfixed by friction,welding, soldering or other suitable means. The number and size of thetube connectors 44 are not critical, but it has been found satisfactoryto utilize 8 connectors 44, each of which is constructed of OD. coppertubing having a length sufiicient to permit firm frictional engagementwith an appropriately sized flexible tube 22; for example, 1 /2 long.

An inlet plate 45 is clamped to the body '38 by machine screws 47 on theside thereof in which the recess 40 is found, thereby enclosing achamber 4-8. A gasket 50 is placed intermediate the inlet plate 46 andbody 38 to seal the periphery of the chamber 48. Inlet plate 46 containsa centrally located aperture 52 within which is tele scoped and atfixedan air line connector 54. As in the case of the tube connectors 44, suchaflixment can be a press fit, brazing, or the like. Air line hose 56 istelescoped over the distal end of the ar line connector 54 and can, ifdesired, be secured with a hose clamp or merely by frictionalengagement. Air line hose 56 extends to a source of compressed air, notshown.

Controls are employed preferably in connection with the air line hose56, to selectively cause air to flow into the chamber 48 at appropriatetimes in the operating cycle of the machine to which the subject unit isaffixed. These controls can comprise apparatus such as that described inthe above-mentioned Reich patent so that when a label is completelystripped and held on the grid 14 and an article to be labeled is inproper position, a burst of compressed air from the compressed airsource enters the chamber 48 and thence proceeds through the tubeconnectors 44 into the flexible tubes 22 and thereafter through theconnecting stations, the nozzle 30, of the grid 14 to which the flexibletubes 22 are connected.

The label receiving and applying station is oriented to receive thelabels in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in whichthe bars 28 extend and in the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 thelabels would enter vertically from the top. Following the stripping ofthe label from the release liner and therefore its location entirelywithin the confines of the grid 14 the label is held in place by thepressure of ambient air acting upon the outer surface of the label andpressing the same inwardly toward the interior of housing 12. An articleis then moved into proper relat-ion with the grid for application of thelabel and the burst of air mentioned previously is brought to bear onthe label. The label is therefore pushed away from the grid structureand propelled to the article. If it is desired to change the size orconfiguration of the label to be applied with the label applyingapparatus, it is merely necessary to move the flexible tubing 22 todifferent connecting stations, nozzles 30, to effect the desired patternfor the burst of air used to propel the new style of label. This may beaccomplished by removing the side panel 24 and manually rearranging theflexible tubes 22 as desired until the appropriate activated nozzle 30pattern is developed. Thereafter the side panel 24 can be replaced andthe effectiveness of the composite air blast pattern tested and furtheradjustments to the individual flexible tube 22 locations made, asdesired.

An alternative form of grid 14' is disclosed in FIGURE 5 in which thestructure is essentially the same as that of FIGURE 2 with the exceptionof the manner of attachment of the flexible tubes 22' thereto. In thisembodiment, the nozzles 30 are not employed and the connecting stationsmerely comprise sockets 31 formed by oppositely disposed arcuatelyshaped recesses on adjacent sides of juxtaposed bars 28' whereby theends of the flexible tubes 22 may be telescoped therein and held infrictional engagement. The illustrated grid of this embodiment is shownwith the eight flexible tubes 22' arranged to form the hexagonal patternillustrated by dotted lines on the figure.

Many modifications of the above invention may be used and it is notintended to hereby limit it to the particular embodiments shown ordescribed. The terms used in describing the invention are used in theirdescriptive sense and not as terms of limitation, it being intended thatall equivalents thereof be included within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A label receiving and applying station comprising a vacuum housing incommunication with means to maintain the air pressure therein below thatof the ambient air, said vacuum housing having a grid on one sidethereof formed of an open network of support members the outer surfacesof which are substantially coplanar, flexible tubing connecting meansassociated with said grid and comprising a multiplicity of connectingstations positioned intermediate adjacent support members, said stationseach being open to the passage of ambient air therethrough whenunconnected to a flexible tube, a multiplicity of lengths of flexibletubing each having one end in communication with a source of compressedair and the other end adapted to be removably attached to a saidstation, means for selectively controlling the flow of compressed airsimultaneously into said lengths of flexible tubing, the number of saidlengths of flexible tubing being substantially less than the number ofsaid stations, whereby said other ends of said lengths of flexibletubing can be attached to an equal number of stations in varyingpatterns as to provide means to conveniently select the collectiveprofile of compressed air emanating from the said other ends of saidlengths of flexible tubing.

2. The label receiving and applying station of claim 1 in which each ofsaid connecting stations comprises a tubular nozzle adapted to directair flow outwardly at substantially right angles with respect to saidouter surfaces of said support members, said nozzles being attached tosaid support members and projecting inwardly beyond the inner surfacesthereof, the attachment of said other ends of the lengths of flexibletubing being by telescoping the same over the inwardly projectingportions of said nozzles.

3. The label receiving and applying station of claim 2 in which eachsaid one end of said flexible tubes is attached to a common manifoldconnected to said source of compressed air, said manifold having anumber of tube connectors thereon over each of which is telescoped asaid one end of a flexible tube.

4. The label receiving and applying station of claim 3 in which saidvacuum housing is provided with a removable side panel to provide accessto the housing interior whereby the pattern of attachment of said otherends of said lengths of flexible tubing to said nozzles can be varied.

5. The label receiving and applying station of claim 1 in which each ofsaid connecting stations comprises a socket into which said other endsof the lengths of flexible tubing may be telescoped for attachment andin which air flow is directed outwardly at substantially right angleswith respect to said outer surfaces of said support members.

6. The label receiving and applying station of claim 5 in which saidsockets are formed by oppositely disposed arcuately shaped recesses onadjacent sides of juxtaposed support members.

7. The label receiving and applying station of claim 6 in which eachsaid one end of said flexible tubes is attached to a common manifoldconnected to said source of compressed air, said manifold having anumber of tube connectors thereon over each of which is telescoped asaid one end of a flexible tube.

8. The label receiving and applying station of claim 7 in which saidvacuum housing is provided with a removable side panel to provide accessto the housing interior whereby the pattern of attachment of said otherends of said lengths of flexible tubing to said nozzles can be varied.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,813,690 7/1931 \Veisker 248-3632,317,348 4/ 1943 Wekeman 248-363 3,093,528 6/1963 Reich 156-2853,220,723 11/ 1965 Rabinow 294-64 3,223,443 12/ 1965 Misson 294-64EDWARD A. SROKA, Primary Examiner.

R. D. GUIOD, Assistant Examiner.

1. A LABEL RECEIVING AND APPLYING STATION COMPRISING A VACUUM HOUSING INCOMMUNICATION WITH MEANS TO MAINTAIN THE AIR PRESSURE THEREIN BELOW THATOF THE AMBIENT AIR, SAID VACUUM HOUSING HAVING A GRID ON ONE SIDETHEREOF FORMED OF AN OPEN NETWORK OF SUPPORT MEMBERS THE OUTER SURFACESOF WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR, FLEXIBLE TUBING CONNECTING MEANSASSOCIATED WITH SAID GRID AND COMPRISING A MULTIPLICITY OF CONNECTINGSTATIONS POSITIONED INTERMEDIATE ADJACENT SUPPORT MEMBERS, SAID STATIONSEACH BEING OPEN TO THE PASSAGE OF AMBIENT AIR THERETHROUGH WHENUNCONNECTED TO A FLEXIBLE TUBE, A MULTIPLICITY OF LENGTHS OF FLEXIBLETUBING EACH HAVING ONE END IN COMMUNICATION WITH A SOURCE OF COMPRESSEDAIR AND THE OTHER END ADAPTED TO BE REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO A SAIDSTATION, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF COMPRESSED AIRSIMULTANEOUSLY INTO SAID LENGTHS OF FLEXIBLE TUBING, THE NUMBER OF SAIDLENGTHS OF FLEXIBLE TUBING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE NUMBER OFSAID STATIONS, WHEREBY SAID OTHER ENDS OF SAID LENGTHS OF FLEXIBLETUBING CAN BE ATTACHED TO AN EQUAL NUMBER OF STATIONS IN VARYINGPATTERNS AS TO PROVIDE MEANS TO CONVENIENTLY SELECT THE COLLECTIVEPROFILE OF COMPRESSED AIR EMANATING FROM THE SAID OTHER ENDS OF SAIDLENGTHS OF FLEXIBLE TUBING.